By that I mean there's usually a massive gap between the midfield and the attack. It is something I've been noticing a lot recently, on top of various smaller issues that have gotten in the way of my tactics working.
Basically I can sum up my experience of FM16 as - Defensively amazing, but limp attacking-wise and even that's an illusion. On top of that, I very seldom feel in control of a game, basically think of Manchester United last season, where anytime the opposition got the ball it was panic stations. We don't concede, but it's more by sheer amount of bodies than by imposing ourselves on the game.
This is something I cooked up the other day;
GK/D
FB/A
CB/D CB/D
WB/S
A/D
DLP/S
CM/A
IF/A
W/S
F9/S
Standard variation of the 4-3-3. I followed WWFAN's 12 step guide to figure out fluidity and settled for:
Counter / Flexible.
Defensively it works, but then any sensible defensive 4 with a midfield shield should be with the right personnel. OTOH attack-wise I'm getting some chances, but a lot of missed sitters, or hitting the woodwork, or fantastic saves. Looking back at the chances, when they come up, they're good ones.
That said, those chances are few and far between (not necessarily a bad thing), and oft results in the F9 punting it from range at times, or the CM/A failing to break beyond the attacking lines as a second attacking option. Very often the DLP/A/CM are in the DM strata leaving only the IF and F9 miles up.
When we get the ball, the opposition manages somehow to shrink into two banks of four, but we still only ever have the IF/F9 anywhere between and beyond the two banks, everyone else will be in front of it, which is ridiculous and shouldn't be happening.
On defence, we often go so far back the defensive line seems to invite pressure far too often.
My thoughts are that either I'm messing up with role selection, and can afford to be a bit more adventurous what with an Anchor in the line, -or- I'm getting stuck on the Counter strategy and the Fluidity.
I'll admit Fluidity is doing my head in on FM16 as I really don't enjoy fiddling with it. I can really see the differences of structured vs fluid, but I'm never really confident that it is working as it was in previous games. I get the feeling that I might like Fluid systems more, just on the basis of the team being more compact.
The other thing is the mentality. I've been counter-centric since FM13, because it cut out the old '30 shots vs 1, lose 0-1' sort of thing, by drawing the opposition out and inviting space, and by slowing things down and keeping possession. This year, I'm not feeling it, though I love the counter-attacks that happen, I'm feeling the pressure more from containing so deep, even with defensive line adjustments. Again, this might well be a fluidity issue, or it might be I can't see the woods for the tree...
Anyway, basically, if you've read this far, this is my last throw of the dice for getting a game complete in FM16, I've struggled since day 1, with various systems and various methods, and it's really getting on my wick as I was perfectly in my element in 14 and 15. I must have picked up a bad habit somewhere!
The idea behind the formation I just posted, the 4-3-3, is that as so;
The 4-1 defensive block defends as a unit. I like the Anchor man as he tends not to go missing as much as other defensive roles, and that's a massive thing for me. He's also useful as a deep option to recycle possession.
On the flanks, the full back is meant to be the defensive option that provides support to the midfield and overlapping option for the winger. I went with /A duty because on Support he was so far back that he was failing to offer any link up with the midfield.
OTOH The wingback is support because that role genuinely gets up and down the pitch without any problems on that duty.
In the midfield I picked the DLP/S because I wanted someone who would be the playmaker and offer an outlet while also offering a second defensive option from a different line of midfield. He gets up far enough, but oft drops into the space the Anchor holds. I've toyed with the idea that this should be a Roaming playmaker, to offer a lot more mobility, because the DLP falls under pressure when facing a 4-2-3-1 formation and an AP suffers from any team packing the DM areas.
The CM/A is meant to be a deep attacking option pushing between the space beyond the forward and between the full back/centreback. This works, sometimes, but often he runs but fails to keep going. I had no problem getting this to work in 15, I'm not sure why it won't stick in 16...
The Winger/S is there to offer wide support - I really don't like that 16 forces them to sit narrower (according to dev post), and I can see it, because he does cut in a bit too often, leaving the FB as the widest person sometimes. The idea was variation of movement, I didn't want two inside-forwards.
The IF/A is the goal threat, out-wide, cutting in, no issues here, he actually does his job quite well.
F9/S - I'm not happy with this one because, although he drops deep, he's prone to punting the ball rather than playing that pass, even where there are passing options ahead or to the side of him. My thoughts were that he would drop, creating space for the on-rushing CM/A and IF/A, but this isn't happening as much as I'd like. My thought is to switch him to a DLF/S, my go-to lone striker, since that offers hold up play that might just be something I need.
I like containing from the halfway line on, and I like a mixed passing range, which is why I usually go Counter, with instructions to simply Play out of defence (and push higher to compensate for the DM). Ideally, I'd like to see football that mixed defensive solidity of the 4-1 line with good interplay and movement from the 2-3 line. At the moment, it isn't coming together.
Any thoughts? Maybe it is time to abandon the counter/flexible principle and attack the template rather than the roles, as I've probably been doing all the time in 16. I just, would love to get to grips with things again before the proverbial FM17 comes out! XD
Basically I can sum up my experience of FM16 as - Defensively amazing, but limp attacking-wise and even that's an illusion. On top of that, I very seldom feel in control of a game, basically think of Manchester United last season, where anytime the opposition got the ball it was panic stations. We don't concede, but it's more by sheer amount of bodies than by imposing ourselves on the game.
This is something I cooked up the other day;
GK/D
FB/A
CB/D CB/D
WB/S
A/D
DLP/S
CM/A
IF/A
W/S
F9/S
Standard variation of the 4-3-3. I followed WWFAN's 12 step guide to figure out fluidity and settled for:
Counter / Flexible.
Defensively it works, but then any sensible defensive 4 with a midfield shield should be with the right personnel. OTOH attack-wise I'm getting some chances, but a lot of missed sitters, or hitting the woodwork, or fantastic saves. Looking back at the chances, when they come up, they're good ones.
That said, those chances are few and far between (not necessarily a bad thing), and oft results in the F9 punting it from range at times, or the CM/A failing to break beyond the attacking lines as a second attacking option. Very often the DLP/A/CM are in the DM strata leaving only the IF and F9 miles up.
When we get the ball, the opposition manages somehow to shrink into two banks of four, but we still only ever have the IF/F9 anywhere between and beyond the two banks, everyone else will be in front of it, which is ridiculous and shouldn't be happening.
On defence, we often go so far back the defensive line seems to invite pressure far too often.
My thoughts are that either I'm messing up with role selection, and can afford to be a bit more adventurous what with an Anchor in the line, -or- I'm getting stuck on the Counter strategy and the Fluidity.
I'll admit Fluidity is doing my head in on FM16 as I really don't enjoy fiddling with it. I can really see the differences of structured vs fluid, but I'm never really confident that it is working as it was in previous games. I get the feeling that I might like Fluid systems more, just on the basis of the team being more compact.
The other thing is the mentality. I've been counter-centric since FM13, because it cut out the old '30 shots vs 1, lose 0-1' sort of thing, by drawing the opposition out and inviting space, and by slowing things down and keeping possession. This year, I'm not feeling it, though I love the counter-attacks that happen, I'm feeling the pressure more from containing so deep, even with defensive line adjustments. Again, this might well be a fluidity issue, or it might be I can't see the woods for the tree...
Anyway, basically, if you've read this far, this is my last throw of the dice for getting a game complete in FM16, I've struggled since day 1, with various systems and various methods, and it's really getting on my wick as I was perfectly in my element in 14 and 15. I must have picked up a bad habit somewhere!
The idea behind the formation I just posted, the 4-3-3, is that as so;
The 4-1 defensive block defends as a unit. I like the Anchor man as he tends not to go missing as much as other defensive roles, and that's a massive thing for me. He's also useful as a deep option to recycle possession.
On the flanks, the full back is meant to be the defensive option that provides support to the midfield and overlapping option for the winger. I went with /A duty because on Support he was so far back that he was failing to offer any link up with the midfield.
OTOH The wingback is support because that role genuinely gets up and down the pitch without any problems on that duty.
In the midfield I picked the DLP/S because I wanted someone who would be the playmaker and offer an outlet while also offering a second defensive option from a different line of midfield. He gets up far enough, but oft drops into the space the Anchor holds. I've toyed with the idea that this should be a Roaming playmaker, to offer a lot more mobility, because the DLP falls under pressure when facing a 4-2-3-1 formation and an AP suffers from any team packing the DM areas.
The CM/A is meant to be a deep attacking option pushing between the space beyond the forward and between the full back/centreback. This works, sometimes, but often he runs but fails to keep going. I had no problem getting this to work in 15, I'm not sure why it won't stick in 16...
The Winger/S is there to offer wide support - I really don't like that 16 forces them to sit narrower (according to dev post), and I can see it, because he does cut in a bit too often, leaving the FB as the widest person sometimes. The idea was variation of movement, I didn't want two inside-forwards.
The IF/A is the goal threat, out-wide, cutting in, no issues here, he actually does his job quite well.
F9/S - I'm not happy with this one because, although he drops deep, he's prone to punting the ball rather than playing that pass, even where there are passing options ahead or to the side of him. My thoughts were that he would drop, creating space for the on-rushing CM/A and IF/A, but this isn't happening as much as I'd like. My thought is to switch him to a DLF/S, my go-to lone striker, since that offers hold up play that might just be something I need.
I like containing from the halfway line on, and I like a mixed passing range, which is why I usually go Counter, with instructions to simply Play out of defence (and push higher to compensate for the DM). Ideally, I'd like to see football that mixed defensive solidity of the 4-1 line with good interplay and movement from the 2-3 line. At the moment, it isn't coming together.
Any thoughts? Maybe it is time to abandon the counter/flexible principle and attack the template rather than the roles, as I've probably been doing all the time in 16. I just, would love to get to grips with things again before the proverbial FM17 comes out! XD